Tag: life ramblings

This year I’ve recently decide to commit myself to becoming vegetarian. I have been wanting to do it for the past year but sometimes stumbled off the wagon especially around Christmas. However a month or two back I decided to definitely state myself as one. I told my family and friends that I was one so it wouldn’t seem strange when I asked for meat-free meals etc.

It’s been hard at some points, especially accompanying friends to places like McDonald’s where the chicken nuggets are addictive. However I’ve been really enjoying being vegetarian the past few months. I haven’t craved meat much at all unless I’ve been starving hungry and near it and even then it feels good to take the veggie option and consume extra vegetables. I remember hating vegetables as a kid but now I literally vacuum them up or get second servings of vegetables because of how delicious they are.

However, turning vegetarian is always difficult for people whom have grown up eating meat. Especially if you do not live alone and have control over what is bought in groceries. So I decided to get together a list of well-known restaurants/chains and tell you what my favourite vegetarian options are from each place! So next time you go and feel like taking the meat-free option, you can try these out and see what you think! I’m sure the farm animals will thank you.

DISCLAIMER: All of these options are vegetarian, not vegan. I can not confirm that any of these meals include dairy or other animal produce in their food.

PIZZA HUT

I do not visit Pizza Hut restaurants often but their Classic Veggie pizza is incredible and very filling. It has all the vegetables I love on it including sweetcorn, peppers and mushrooms. The flavour is so delightful and it’s what I always order when I go there. You can also dip into a bucket of fries for the table if you are out with friends or a date as they are also vegetarian.

TGI FRIDAYS

I adore TGI Fridays. It’s one of my favourite restaurants, mainly for the atmosphere. I love the American diner style of the reds and whites and all the lights on the logo. When I go there I tend to order a Sizzling Veggie Fajita. The waiter brings you all the sizzling vegetables separate from dips and the tortillas so you can make the fajita the way you want and it is so delicious. Unfortunately there is no veggie burger option from TGI Fridays yet, considering how much I would adore the burgers back when I ate meat. I hope one day they bring out one because it’d be great to try. Their sundaes are also delicious and vegetarian. My favourite one is the Cookies & Cream one, as it includes Oreos which are so tasty!

CHIQUITOS

Last year I managed to find probably one of my favourite vegetarian meals from a chain restaurant in Chiquitos. I always rave about how tasty it was whenever people mention the restaurant and I definitely recommend it. This is the Veggie Volcano burger. It includes a veggie bean burger with mayo, five bean chilli, melted cheese and jalapenos. However because I really do not like cheese I tend to order this without the melted cheese, it’s still just as gorgeous!

WAGAMAMA’S

I have to personally thank my lovely boyfriend Will for introducing me to Wagamama’s as I had never gone to it before last year. It’s menu is very unique and there are lots to choose from on there so I was definitely able to find a delicious meat-free option for myself and the portions are so filling and big that even without meat, which is generally the stomach-filler of a main meal, I was unsure if I’d be able to finish meals from there. The Yasai Katsu Curry from Wagamama’s is so full-flavoured. Compared to the traditional Chicken Katsu Curry, the Yasai has sweet potato, aubergine and butternut squash coated in panko breadcrumbs drowned in the aromatic curry sauce. It is so divine and delicious, that I’m actually craving it as I type! You can also get yasai steamed dumplings or wok-fried greens as a side to your meal which are also delicious vegetarian options!

TAMPOPO

Tampopo is very similar to Wagamama’s in atmosphere and cuisine however it was a visit to the Trafford Centre restaurant yesterday that inspired me to write this post! It was my first Tampopo meal and I had the delight of eating the Thai Style Vegetarian Fried Rice. There was so many different flavours in this meal and they all complimented each other. You can order this meal with chicken or prawn however with the vegetarian choice you get chunks of tofu which are just as delicious and go well with the egg, mushrooms, peppers and pineapple mixed in the delicious fried rice.

SUBWAY

Although not really a ‘well-known’ restaurant. Since going vegetarian, Subway tends to be my go to place for ‘fast food’. When I go to a shopping centre food court where I’m surrounded by McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut Express, Gregg’s etc, I tend to go for Subway because the veggie options there are definitely the tastiest. My subway order may seem very mundane but to me it is very delicious and filling. I tend to have the bread as either hearty italian or honey oat. My filling is either a veggie patty or I like to go for the ‘veggie delite’, which is basically no filling thanks I’m just going to have a lot of veggies. (If you listen closely you can hear meat eaters judging me and moaning in the distance). I always get the bread toasted because it’s just boring without the warm, soft bread. Then for vegetable fillings I go for cucumbers, lettuce, red onions, green peppers, sweetcorn, grated carrot and jalapeno. I sometimes give or take random ingredients but I will always definitely have cucumbers, peppers and jalapeno on. So basically my subway order is a Toasted Hearty Italian/Honey Oat VEGGIE DELITE. I do not tend to have sauce on it but that is mainly because I have never tried any of them which I should probably change soon. Don’t want to make my veggie subway more aesthetically boring than it already seems. But whatever people say I love it! I do also enjoy a Subway Rainbow Cookie as a treat, as I think they are vegetarian as far as I am aware. If I am wrong, I would love to be corrected, please!

But yeah, that’s my recommendations for anyone who would like to try a delicious vegetarian option in any of these restaurants! Feel free to comment any other places or chains that do great veggie options! It’s useful for aspiring vegetarians!

Back in high school I remember literally counting down the days until the six weeks holidays and Christmas holidays. They were the best, most relaxing times for an easily stressed high school kid. The last week of a six-week holiday and I’d be miserable at the thought of going back to school and seeing everyone again or learning things. I would have rather have kept my brain in ominous grey matter whilst I just sat playing video games and watching reruns of Cartoon Network. In college, it did change a bit considering it wasn’t a 9-5, 5 days a week chore. I’d get lie ins someday but mixing that with mental health that crept up on me whilst becoming a teenager, that might have gone down the dark rabbit hole, making me take days of just because I had slept in too late or because I didn’t believe I had to ‘go into college’ to get my work done.

I was a lazy little sh**, basically.

However recently I’ve had two months work-free. The ‘reason’ I guess could be private to my employer, I’m not entirely sure. My group at my apprenticeship just haven’t been given a start date yet after taking our paid holiday at the end of July. I could go on a rant but I think most of my family, friends and boyfriend have heard my wail and whine about how annoyed I am. Two months of no work, no education and full freedom to do what you want might sound like a dream for someone in high school. I’ve spoken to some of my friends who are a wee bit younger than me that are starting college or first year of University and I’ve been told “at least you get a break” about 20 odd times. I am grateful for the time off, but oh my god am I bored out of my noggin.

When you become a ‘legal working adult’ (internal screaming), you start to get the wonders of ‘payment’. At the end of the month, you get that thrilling pay check and the excitement overcomes you when you check your online banking and it’s no longer under £1. After around a year and nine months of working in retail and my apprenticeship I can tell you, I’ve gotten used to the feeling of having money. Obviously I’m on no living wage (thank you David Cameron, £2 an hour is such a brilliant idea – not) whilst I’m on my apprenticeship and I still have to live with my parents (shout out to mum and dad), but I liked being able to actually pay to go out with my friends or boyfriend and go cinema, for meals or even have a drink at the pub. I’m not going to be paid at the end of this month and I can tell you, I will probably go out of my mind trying to deal with finance until I next get some sort of income.

So this is my warning for the college and university students out there – save your god damn coins. Get a savings account and fill it up with that ££££.
My recommendation is to put maybe £20 in every month or so if you have a part-time job, for future reference. I wish I had done this whilst working, instead of deciding it was all just disposable income. The amount of stuff you don’t realise you need spare money for. For example:

Work Travel – I have to pay 80 odd quid for a monthly Metrolink ticket to get to work. At apprenticeship wage, that really took it out of my monthly income.

Lunch Money – Admittedly next time I’m at work, I will have to take advantage of making packed lunches or bringing my refillable water bottle. Sometimes on weeks at work I’d manage to spend over £10 just so I could have drinks to get me through the day and an actual eatable lunch.

Got friends that don’t live near you? More travel – Hooray for train fares and bus fares.

You probably owed your parents money. – If you’re anything like me, every fun thing seems to happen when you’re out of money. It’s got to the point with my parents sometimes I’ll come up to them and be like “Oh so my friends are going out next week and they invited me…” and my dad will instantly turn round and go ‘are you asking for money again?’ Oh dear.

Coffee/cinema/meals – If you want to spend time with friends doing something this requires money. And prices do tend to go up on coffee and cinema tickets now. God damn.

Medicine – I miss the days where all my prescriptions for stuff that keeps me healthy/happy was free. ):

Welcome to the adult world kiddos, I recommend you save up some dosh.

But yeah, I hope soon enough I can go back to my apprenticeship or maybe get a part-time job. I definitely am not recommending being an adult so far. 1/10.

About the Blogger

Small, buzzing bee living in the big city of Manchester. Love talking about the little things that make me happy, thinking of ways to be kinder to the environment, discovering cute cafes and books, of course.